Timana Tahu

Timana James Aporo Tahu (born 16 October 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer.

He last played for Denver Stampede in the US PRO Rugby competition.

A dual-code international representative three-quarter back for Australia's Kangaroos and then the Wallabies, he could also play and played for New South Wales in State of Origin.

Tahu made his first grade debut in Round 12 1999 against South Sydney at the Sydney Football Stadium.

In the 2000 season, Tahu scored 20 tries in 26 games as Newcastle reached the preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters.

Tahu scored a try during the match which Newcastle lost 26–20.

Tahu started his career in the National Rugby League for the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 2001 NRL Premiership before moving to the Parramatta Eels.

He then played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition.

Tahu returned to the NRL with the Eels and then the Penrith Panthers before finishing his NRL career where it started with the Newcastle Knights.

Tahu was born in Melbourne of a New Zealand Māori father and an Australian Aboriginal mother, as a result he was eligible for both the New Zealand Kiwis and Australian Kangaroos.

He grew up in St Kilda before moving with his mother to Bourke in western New South Wales at the age of 12.

From there he went on to live in towns including Wilcannia, Grafton and Byron Bay.

Tahu and his partner Kasey have three children.

They met while young; their oldest child was born when he was 18.

Tahu played in the Knights 2001 premiership side, scoring a try that cemented the victory as Newcastle defeated Parramatta 30–24.

The grand final victory has been described as one of the greatest grand final upsets as Parramatta went into the game as raging hot favourites and had only lost 4 games all season.

Tahu scored 82 tries in 97 games during his first spell with the club.

In 2004, Tahu announced that he had signed a 3-year contract to join the Eels.

In 2005, Tahu was part of the Parramatta side which won the minor premiership.

In round 23, Tahu scored 3 tries in Parramatta's 56–4 win over arch rivals Canterbury where he famously slam dunked the ball over the crossbar after scoring his third try.

Parramatta fell short of a grand final appearance that year losing to North Queensland 29–0 in the preliminary final.

On 20 March 2007, Tahu announced he would be switching codes to rugby union join the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby from the 2008 season.

Tahu's contract with Parramatta ended at the end of the 2007 NRL season after three seasons in the Eels.

The contract with the Waratahs was expected to be a four-year deal.

In 2007, Tahu shocked the NRL when he announced that he had decided to move to rugby union.

His contract with the Eels was set to expire at the end of the year, thus the NSW Waratahs attempted to sign him.

On 19 December 2007, Tahu agreed to a four-year contract with Shute Shield club, West Harbour.

He joined fellow League convert Lote Tuqiri at the club.

In Tahu's final game in the NRL, he was put on report for a head slam on Melbourne Storm player Israel Folau.

He received a two-match suspension, and although his rugby league career was over this suspension still carried across into rugby union.

On 26 January 2008, Tahu played his first game of rugby union.

The game was a trial match between the NSW Waratahs and the Queensland Reds, which the Waratahs won 26–10.

Tahu made his debut performance in the Super 14 competition in the Waratahs clash with the Wellington Hurricanes on 16 February 2008.

During the 2008 Pacific Nations Cup, Tahu repeatedly performed for Australia A, playing at both wing and inside centre.

His performance against Tonga at North Sydney Oval, in front of new Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, in which he played at inside centre, caused him to declare that inside centre is his preferred position.

Here he scored a try and made six assists, tearing the opposition defence apart.

He also scored the winning try against the Samoans, with a long distance intercept effort.

On 6 July Tahu played a pivotal role in the Australian A's final Pacific Nations Cup game against New Zealand Maori, scoring 2 tries.

On 7 July 2008, Tahu was named in the 30 man Wallabies squad for the Tri-Nations series.

On 26 July, Tahu made his first appearance as a substitute for the Wallabies against New Zealand in the Tri-Nations.